International
Colombia peace tribunal charges 19 soldiers for 300 murders
AFP
The special peace tribunal investigating atrocities committed during Colombia’s decades-long conflict on Monday charged 19 soldiers with war crimes and crimes against humanity for murdering 303 people, mostly civilians, between 2005 and 2008.
The murders form part of what is known in Colombia as “false positives,” where the military killed civilians and then presented them as guerilla fighters to try to inflate the effectiveness of their fight against rebels.
In return, the soldiers received special benefits such as help to gain promotion.
The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) said it has gathered enough evidence to charge 19 soldiers, an intelligence agent and two civilians for the murders and forced disappearance of hundreds of people in the eastern Casanare department.
A general and five colonels, all now retired, are among the accused.
The tribunal’s magistrates said the soldiers belonged to the 16th Brigade, in which “a criminal organization” killed and falsely presented civilians as guerrillas and criminals that “had fallen in combat.”
Some victims had been plied with alcohol and drugs.
In return for their crimes, the soldiers received release “permits, special food, holiday plans, training classes abroad and recognition” to accelerate their promotion.
From 2002 to 2008, under the right-wing presidency of Alvaro Uribe, Colombia’s military committed more than 6,400 murders, according to the JEP.
The accused must either accept or reject the accusations in the coming weeks.
If they confess and make reparations to their victims, they can avoid prison time. Otherwise, they face up to 20 years in jail.
The JEP was set up following the 2016 peace deal that brought to an end more than a half century of conflict between the state and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which has since formed a political party.
The tribunal investigates atrocities committed by both sides in the conflict.
In June, the former FARC leadership took responsibility for its actions and apologized to its victims.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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